As little as two years ago, when Waratahs fans weren't booing - they were mute. Dead quiet.

It was the most depressing atmosphere in Australian rugby for fans, and not much fun to play for, either.

So when the Waratahs ran out to a cacophony of cheers and heard a stadium-wide chant of "NSW" to steel themselves against a Brumbies onslaught on Saturday night, no one was more surprised than veteran NSW hard man Wycliff Palu.

Palu remembers the bad old days of 2012. They hurt, not least because as the starting No. 8 in the 2008 final, he had always thought another shot at the title was just around the corner.

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"I've really enjoyed this season, not just the on-field stuff, but I've really enjoyed the off-field stuff as well," he said on Monday.

"Because I was a bit younger back then [in 2008], when you play in those finals you always think there's going to be another one around the corner. But it's been a while now, so I'll definitely try to take this opportunity. I'll probably enjoy it a bit more as well."

Not even an embarrassing password and pricing blunder that interrupted the first release of members' tickets on Monday could derail the momentum heading into Saturday's historic home final at ANZ Stadium.

Initially pitched to media as a wild stampede for tickets that brought down the Ticketek server, the Waratahs were later forced to admit a fault on their side, coupled with strong interest, caused some members to be charged full price for their tickets.

A spokeswoman said each member was being contacted directly to be reassured they would be sold their tickets at members' prices.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual for the players. Palu stuck to his usual routine on Monday, sitting out training and hitting the "fish oils and ice baths" to coax his body back to life after the Waratahs' gruelling win against the Brumbies.

Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale also sat out the light field session. Folau is still managing the effects of a corked thigh and Beale's shoulders were stinging after the heavy traffic the Brumbies sent his way on Saturday night.

They will need all the rest they can get heading into their clash with the Crusaders. Palu will play opposite last year's IRB player of the year Kieran Read and his back-row partner Richie McCaw.

The clash will be the first time Read and Palu come face to face since 2012, when the Wallabies held the All Blacks to an 18-18 draw in Brisbane.

"I think he's all-round the best [No. 8 in world rugby], he does all the things that a forward should be able to do," Palu said of Read.

"When he gets a good roll on their whole team gets on the back of his go-forward. He's one of many guys we have to watch out for."

In the Waratahs' corner will be a home crowd a million miles away from the apathetic days of seasons past.

Numerous players said the 38,500-strong crowd played a large part in the side's semi-final win, whether it was the "NSW-NSW" chant, the standing ovation for favourite players or the wild cheers that rose from the stands with each scrum win or big hit.

"A couple of weeks ago we played [at the same ground] with the Wallabies and it didn't seem that loud," Palu said, adding that the last time he heard the "NSW" chant was a State of Origin rugby league game.

"The last time I heard it [from a rugby crowd] was 2008 when we played the final over there [in Christchurch]. We had a small group of NSW supporters who flew over and they were chanting when we got in front. It was awesome."